Scriptures and Scream: Rivers of Nihil: The Conscious Seed of Light CD Review
With their first full-length album and Metal Blade Records debut, Rivers on Nihil are only just beginning to show the world that American Death Metal is far from being done. Jake Dieffenbach (vocals), Ron Nelson (drums), Jon Kunz (guitars), Adam Biggs (bass/vocals) and Brody Uttley (guitars) self-released two EPs—2010’s Hierarchy and 2011’s Temporality Unbound before heading to the studio with Erik Rutan (Hate Eternal, ex-Morbid Angel) to record The Conscious Seed of Light. The idea and concept of the album are rather unique, with the idea that the band would release four separate albums tied together with one common theme: each reflecting a particular season of a year. Adam Biggs states “The Conscious Seed of Light is intended to be representative of Spring and explores various themes concerning new beginnings, growth, and an attachment to the natural world in a post-human Earth. Unlike some concept records however, we wanted to allow each song to work on its own terms. Rather than have the songs rely on each other to move a specific story structure forward; they work within their own separate narratives, but ultimately serve the album’s broader concept.”* If this album represents Spring, then I can not wait to hear what they are going to do for the other seasons! “Birth of the Omnisavior” and “Soil & Seed” in particular bring together a ferocity and ruggedness that is missing from a lot Death Metal these days, and they manage to grind out even harder on the album with tracks like “Mechanical Trees” and “Human Adaptation”. You can certainly hear the influences of other metal bands like Morbid Angel and Decapitated in their style and sound, but Rivers of Nihil do an outstanding job of searing your eardrums with machine-gun like drumming, highly technical guitar riffs and growling vocals that will make you wonder why you have been listening to anything else. If this is nature’s voice telling us of the ruination of mankind, I can’t wait till the seasons change and we get the next season…
Get Rivers of Nihil’s The Conscious Seed of Light on iTunes
The Dedman’s Verdict: 8 out of 10
1. Terrestria I: Thaw
2. Rain Eater
3. Birth of the Omnisavior
4. Soil & Seed
5. Central Antheneum
6. Mechanical Trees
7. Place of Serpents
8. Human Adaptation
9. A Fertile Altar
10. Airless
Metal Blade Records Official Website
Rivers of Nihil Metal Blade Page
Rivers of Nihil Official Facebook Page
*Quote from Rivers of Nihil’s Metal Blade Page